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Old August 9th, 2009, 11:25 AM
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DoeZ DoeZ is offline
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Question Help with 1yr. old cat pooping in my house

Hello all...

First of all let me tell you that I am an animal lover. We have 4 cats and 1 dog and tons of fish...My DD and I go to the SPCA all the time and spread our love to the animals...BUT...I'm about to lose control here because I have 1 cat that is 1 yr old and he poops wherever he wants. He'll use the litter boxes to go to the bathroom but he poops anywhere. This is 1 of the cats my DD brought home...he gets along great with all the other animals...they all get along...I have more than enough litter boxes for all of them and they are kept clean all the time. I don't know what else to do to get him to stop this. My carpet is starting to smell. Thank goodness my DH is buying a carpet cleaner today so we can clean the carpet and get rid of the smell. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I can do? I would really appreciate any

Now my oldest cat is about 16 or 17 yrs old...she has always hidden in the basement and never came out...only to eat and pee/poop...well she finally is out...she sleeps on my kitchen chairs and is always talking to us and I think because she feels frail...I mean I can feel her bones and she looks weak and sometimes lost...I will not put her down...I don't believe in that...(God will take her when she's ready)...but my DH is always cleaning up her vomit in the morning. It's just clear but it's always there. Is this another sign she's getting ready?

Thank you all for any suggestions or thoughts you may have
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Old August 9th, 2009, 01:10 PM
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sugarcatmom sugarcatmom is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DoeZ View Post
.I'm about to lose control here because I have 1 cat that is 1 yr old and he poops wherever he wants. He'll use the litter boxes to go to the bathroom but he poops anywhere.
So he pees in the box but poops elsewhere? Has he ever pooped in the box?

Some other questions I have to try to get to the bottom of this:
  1. How many litter boxes do you have and where are they located?
  2. What kind of litter do you use?
  3. How often do you clean them?
  4. Are the boxes covered or uncovered?
  5. What do you feed your cats?
  6. Have you taken this kitty in to the vet for a check-up?
  7. Do you clean where he poops with an enzymatic cleaner, like Nature's Miracle?


Quote:
Originally Posted by DoeZ View Post
Thank goodness my DH is buying a carpet cleaner today so we can clean the carpet and get rid of the smell.
Make sure you use an enzyme cleaner (or even hydrogen peroxide) first or the steam cleaning is just going to set the smell further.

Quote:
Originally Posted by DoeZ View Post
Now my oldest cat is about 16 or 17 yrs old...she has always hidden in the basement and never came out...only to eat and pee/poop...
:sad: Why is that? Does she not get along with your other pets?

Quote:
Originally Posted by DoeZ View Post
I mean I can feel her bones and she looks weak and sometimes lost...
When was the last time she saw the vet for a senior wellness exam? Regular vomiting is not normal and neither is losing weight. Also, being 17 is not a death sentence. Cats should technically be able to live into the 20s or even 30s. I would take her to the vet to make sure there isn't something going on that is perfectly treatable. Just letting her waste away is not very kind or compassionate.
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Old August 10th, 2009, 11:00 AM
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DoeZ DoeZ is offline
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First let me say that all my animals see the vet on a regular basis and they are not being treated unkindly in any way shape or form.

Yes the little one has pooped in the box before. I have 3 littler boxes and they're in the mudroom...I do not want them in the house area where it can smell anytime. We use freshstep and they eat normal cat food. I do sometimes give them a treat of canned food split in 4's. No there are not lids on the litter boxes and they are cleaned daily. As for what we use when picking up after them....usually something like 4O9 or fantastic...I do have something similar to the Natures Miracle...but I didnt notice a difference because he just goes back somewhere else.

As for the carpet cleaner...how am I supposed to use an enzyme cleaner before I clean the carpet?

As for my oldest cat...she has always been afraid of other animals and people since we got her as a kitten...but the last 2 yrs. she's been finally coming up to the kitchen and mingling with the other animals and family. She doesn't appear to be afraid as she lets everyone and anyone come up to her now and pet her. She sleeps on the chairs in the kitchen now also. Like I said before...they all see the vet on a regular basis and I am not letting her wither away...she eats plenty and is always drinking water.

Does anyone have any other suggestions on what to do about this one cat (1yr old) pooping on my carpet and not in the box?
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Old August 10th, 2009, 11:31 AM
BenMax BenMax is offline
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I would have litter boxes where some are open 'faced' and others with a lid. Cats are finicky and maybe this could be the problem. I also would not line the boxes up beside each other - again a privacy issue. Try it.
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Old August 10th, 2009, 01:50 PM
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sugarcatmom sugarcatmom is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DoeZ View Post
I have 3 littler boxes and they're in the mudroom...I do not want them in the house area where it can smell anytime.
Perhaps adding one or two more boxes would help. Is there a particular spot that the 1yr old poops more often? Maybe put the box there. You can gradually move it to a spot you prefer over the course of several days. Some cats have an issue going to the bathroom in a box that another cat has already used, so adding more boxes is often the answer.

Quote:
Originally Posted by DoeZ View Post
We use freshstep
Scented or unscented? If scented, I highly recommend switching to an unscented product. Cats noses are infinitely more sensitive than ours and that lovely lavender or "mountain forest" aroma that we might find appealing can be quite noxious to the feline forced to dig around in it several times a day. On top of that, when they groom their feet after being in the litter box, they're ingesting perfume chemicals.

Quote:
Originally Posted by DoeZ View Post
and they eat normal cat food. I do sometimes give them a treat of canned food split in 4's
So mostly kibble. What brand? You might want to think about feeding more wet food and less dry. Cats fed kibble are chronically dehydrated, no matter how much water you see them drinking, and it could be that your kitty had an episode of painful constipation. He may be associating pooping in the box with pain, causing him to defecate elsewhere. It's especially important for male cats to eat wet food in order to avoid a life-threatening urinary tract blockage. Please read this link for more info: www.catinfo.org

Here is another link that talks about feline marking behaviour. On other small possibility is that your cat is using his feces to mark territory. http://www.hdw-inc.com/litterbox.htm

The key is to make his chosen poop areas less appealing to him, while making the litter box a more attractive option. If there's one particular area he mostly goes, you could try putting tinfoil or double sided tape there to discourage him.

Quote:
Originally Posted by DoeZ View Post
As for the carpet cleaner...how am I supposed to use an enzyme cleaner before I clean the carpet?
If you can soak all the areas that you can still smell feces with the Nature's Miracle a couple hours before steam cleaning, that should help. As I mentioned, hydrogen peroxide (3%) is also another option if you didn't think NM worked.

Quote:
Originally Posted by DoeZ View Post
Like I said before...they all see the vet on a regular basis and I am not letting her wither away...she eats plenty and is always drinking water.
So when was her last exam and what were the results? A cat her age should be going at least once a year for complete blood work and a urinalysis. If it's been a while, I urge you to make an appointment ASAP. It's great that she's eating, but if she's still losing weight, there's something wrong. And "always drinking water" can be a potential symptom of several (treatable) ailments that senior cats are prone to, such as diabetes, kidney disease, hyperthyroidism.
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Old August 11th, 2009, 02:57 PM
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artsofeden artsofeden is offline
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You have some good suggestions here. I think you need to decide where he is deficating the most and place a pan there, perhaps one with a cover and slowly start moving it to a more desirable location. Just because you want all the litter boxes in the mudroom doesnt mean they want them all in the mudroom. It could be the older cats are 'telling' him he is not permitted in that room thru body language. For those of us that choose to share our homes and lives with multiple cats(pets) we sometimes have to give up making up all the rules and have to accomodate to the feline anarchy.
As far as your older one goes, My Sabi was the same way wanting to be away from the 'commotions' of the household until he was much older. But also like your sweetie, he began loosing weight(he was 23)and we discovered he had developed a tumor. I also advise perhaps a vet visit be in order if not for anything else but to make sure that there is not anything you can be doing to make life more comfortable....
Good luck in your endevor..
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